Animals, just like humans, get sick. It was my duty to bring my client, Diego, to the emergency vet while in my care. He had developed a lump on his hip that grew 3x its size in 3 days. I spoke with his owner and we made the decision to bring him in as he would not eat or walk up and down the stairs. While at the vet, the doctor gave us horrible news. Diego had a sarcoma which is a cancer that cannot be treated. I then had to relay this devastating news to his mom.
I brought this sweet boy home to rest and administered medication that the doctor said would make him comfortable. I waited with him overnight until his mom arrived at 5am the next morning. She immediately knew that something was wrong as I was not scheduled to stay overnight. I smiled and gave her the good news first - his blood test came back normal and he could handle the prescribed medications. Then came the part I was dreading. I explained everything in detail making sure to leave nothing out. I'm not sure how much she heard after the shock of hearing the word "cancer."
I hugged my client and apologized for being the bearer of bad news. In turn, she apologized for my having to deal with this situation. I wanted to take him even if it meant bad news. Diego was suffering and I couldn't let that go on in my care.
I'll never forget that night. Someone said to me, "that's the difference of being a professional pet sitter. You are the caretaker and a shoulder to lean on." I really do love all my clients as if they were my own. I wouldn't trade any job for this one even during the hard times.
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